HS2 Ltd has come under fire for removing a large tree in central London as part of preparation work for the high speed rail line’s southern terminus at Euston.
The firm building the line said the removal of the tree on Sunday (27 September) for utilities work was ‘unavoidable’.
Picture by the author
However protestors chanted ‘HS2, shame on you’ as the tree was chopped up and transported from the site.
A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: ‘Working closely with the London Borough of Camden we have established the Camden Tree Panel which reviews and challenges the removal of trees in the area; they have endorsed these works.
‘We also have a commitment to replace any trees removed in Camden as close to the location of any removed tree and have already successfully planted trees in the area.’
The spokesperson claimed the new ‘low carbon railway will help in the fight against climate change by getting people out of the cars and reduce the need for domestic air travel’.
However, as Transport Network has reported, the carbon emitted during the project’s construction means that it is unclear whether it will be carbon neutral before the end of the century.
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